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I was struggling to make a vlog. Vlogs are the easiest form of video to make, and I was struggling.

Making new content always came so easily to me. Every project is a joy to make and another notch of fun on a belt that has no end. I've been struggling through a very dry period for me as a creator and the horrible video I'm posting below is a testament to this period. I know that in order to make good content I first need to create for myself a good life. I'm more unsatisfied with life no more than ever before. I've made more progress professionally this year than ever before. With that said, when your profession is being creative, and you cannot create you have a problem on your hands. I am trying to buckle down, and ride through the storm. If I don't continue to create without limit then whats the point?

I've never been afraid to share with you my worst so that we can celebrate when I'm at my best.

My timelines always end up with like 20 tracks *this is not one of my timelines.*

Which piece of software wins between Final Cut Pro, and Avid? Which software makes you a true editor? The answer is neither, and shame on you for entertaining such foolish thoughts.

It is this "true editor" mindset that has lead me to give up on looking for editing gigs, and I will tell you why. It seems like if you don't edit on either Final Cut, or Avid, then you just aren't editing. I understand that these mediums are the industry standard, but it's a very narrow minded way to look at an art form, because that's really what editing is. If I call a taxi service, and I ask them to take me from one point to the next, I don't follow that sentence with if the driver is not driving a BMW, or a Mercedes please don't even bother.

The tool by which you get the job done with may vary in complexity, but all that matters is the end product. Now I'm no fool. I understand that if you wanted some type of motion tracking, detailed color correction, or you need heavy composting, and I edit with movie maker or iMovie then you can't hire me, because I am not able to complete the project due to technical limitations. Asking for FCP or Avid almost directly eliminates that problem completely. The downside is while you eliminate the junior editors you also inadvertently eliminate much seasoned editors who can complete your project, but are excluded, because they work more efficiently on a different non-linear editor.

There are other professional grade editing software besides Final Cut Pro, and Avid. Anyone ever here of Sony Vegas Pro? What about a little piece of software from a startup company stop me if it rings a bell, Adobe Premiere?

We live in a time where the average Joe is shooting, editing, and distributing a new age of home movies via YouTube, and sites in the same vein. This I'm sure creates a lot of noise for employers. The way I deal with the situation is by removing myself from the equation.

I'm a decent editor, but there are motion graphics guys, and people playing around with after effects out there that could wipe the floor with me.

My editing station sucks, as I have the slowest laptop computer on the planet, which makes the editing process comparable to a physical castration.

I rather shoot, than edit any day of the week, (This varies sometimes I actually love to edit, I won't lie).

Even though I've removed myself from the argument, I still see where it falls apart. Fact is what a person edits with should be of little consequence. It's the editor that matters. So before you go requesting tools and run into average Joe who bought final cut and couldn't put together a slide show. Ask to see a reel. After all you're looking for a person to do the job not shopping for software.

This is officially the first week of me being back from my hiatus, and what a week it has been. I have had time to look back at my past achievements, and the progress I've made professionally, and financially, and I am extremely proud, but improvements must be made. While freelancing has been awesome, the opportunities are very few, and far in between which leads me to think that at the rate I am going, I will not realize my ambitions within my lifetime. This realization always seems to be the catalyst to facilitate change. I am trying to increase my output of creative content by focusing on innovation.

One change I've made to my routine is creating at least one new invention every week to submit to Quirky.com. While this has not yielded any type of profit for me as of yet, I feel like Quirky is a good fit for a people like me, who possess both the imagination and drive to create, but lack the resources to bring our ideas to fruition. Quirky would actually be my second stab at inventing. When I was about 16 I went to an invention facilitation company to help me patent a broken bulb remover. I was told by the head of the company that my idea was amazing but he couldn't enter a contractual agreement with a minor, and we went our separate ways.

Following the theme of innovation I created a another blog today, as well as put in some work on a new YouTube channel. WesleysList.com is a comprehensive list of all things Awesome, and unAwesome. I am hoping that what started today as a simple list will turn into a massive aggregation of reader submitted websites, articles, pictures, video, and original music. All this content will then be filtered to eliminate the mediocre leaving only the best of the best, and the worst of the worst. This is the second blog under my wings, and I have high hopes for it, because this is new exciting territory for me.

I want something that I've never had, so I must do things I've never done. Innovation will hopefully be the change agent responsible for moving me from this stoic period of life towards some actual living. At the very least I'll have a new batch of original work to help me move onward and upwards.

I'm still technically on my hiatus, but a few things have happened which I feel are absolutely blog worthy. I announced that I would be taking a two week break from content creation on Sept.27, and that very week I found my very first sponsor. Now I've thrown around the joke that I'm looking for every, and any sponsor. The joke goes along the lines of all companies that need a face, I'll push your product, even if it's cigarettes, tobacco, firearms, or carcinogenic baby blankets. Seriously though choosing who you will allow to sponsor you is not something that should be taken lightly (taking the money now may not be the most lucrative option). My strategy is to "choose a brand that I can stand behind", because if you lose your credibility this new found sponsor relationship is useless. Even if you gain a few dollars, losing your credibility could result in losing your audience (the risk is too high a price, an audience's worth is limitless).

I can stand behind, offering a cheap option to such an essential branding tool. Without

JoshenReborn.com I wouldn't be anywhere close to where I am now

So the big question is how did I do it? The simplicity of the answer surprised even me. I sent a simple email proposing what I had in mind, and the reply was absolutely. I think the most important part in creating this new relationship is that I already had a body of work that the brand could refer to, and say "this is good stuff". Reach out to more than just the recognizable brands. There are a ton of start-ups, and successful businesses that may not have the recognition of, lets say, Facebook, but they certainly are worth paying attention to. Seek out a brand, the odds of you finding them is greater than them stumbling into you. Where should you look? Try a networking event, it doesn't really matter what for either. Pay attention to the sponsors of the event because they may be interested in also sponsoring you, or your event. Pop Chips is a great example of a brand that's willing to work with creative professionals.

Cheesily I want to say that this is me finally seeing the reward of putting out good content, but I don't think it's that simple. This I believe is the only logical direction for me to head in after putting so much work out for such a long period of time.